(Not applicable).
1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a plastic resin building, for example, an outhouse or bus stop, that is easily assembled, durable, efficiently moldable and transportable in bulk, washable and portable when assembled.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Outdoor shelter structures, such as portable outhouses, are commonly rented and used for special events, such as parties, festivals or concerts, as well as at job sites or other locations where people are gathered temporarily. Prior art portable outhouses are, for the most part, unsightly from the outside and unpleasant on the inside.
Typically, portable outhouses are transported fully assembled and in large numbers to their end use sites. They are generally rough handled. For example, it is not uncommon for them to be dropped off of a flatbed truck. Therefore, they must be very durable. In addition, the large size and low weight of an assembled portable outhouse, relative to the payload capacity of a truck, makes shipping them assembled costly. As a result, some structures have been manufactured to be shipped in separate components and assembled on site by either the supplier (i.e., the rental company) or the end customer. The assembly process is typically difficult and time consuming, since there are often numerous components that cannot be easily aligned. The assembly time and cost is further exacerbated when a large number of units are involved.
Additionally, the door latches on existing structures are typically small metal hooks, catches or sliding bolts that are difficult to secure in place, prone to breaking or misoperation and are difficult to operate from outside the structure. The ability to operate the latch from outside the structure is particularly important for opening the door in the event a small child or incapacitated person was locked inside. It is also useful to be able to lock the doors from the outside when transporting fully assembled units to keep the doors from opening and slamming shut.
The present invention provides a multi-use building which has its major components moldable from plastic resin. Aspects of the invention make the components compactly shippable and easily assembled. Once assembled, the building is aesthetically pleasing, low maintenance and durable.
The building may be used for different purposes with simple modifications, such as an outhouse, bus stop shelter, ticket booth, sentry hut and storage shed. If used as an outhouse, the building walls are built around a septic tank, which also aids in the assembly process by holding up three sides of the building before the sides are permanently secured. Once they are permanently secured, the walls secure the tank, with no additional attachment of the tank needed. The sides are easily attached to the base and roof using specially molded-in receivers, which permit receipt and seating of the fasteners without complete removal of the fasteners, which facilitates one-person assembly of the building. Side edges of each wall are attached to the side edges of the adjacent walls at the corners of the building using a plastic extrusion, and the edges inter-fit with one another to reduce racking of the building. The tank itself also features one-piece molding, with subsequent cutting into two pieces, each of which is nestable with other pieces of the same kind for compact shipping and easy assembly.
Using a double walled molding method for the walls of the building, spaces are created between the inner and outer layers of the walls into which a sheet can be inserted. The sheet may be a screen to provide for ventilation or a transparent panel to provide a window. The portions of the two layers of the wall are cut out in an area smaller than the inserted sheet and the edges of the inserted sheet between the two layers of the wall are trapped by welds between the two layers, or by fasteners which may be threaded through the two layers. The area which may be cut out to make a window if desired, can be made flat, so that if it is not cut out, signage, such as the sign of the outhouse rental company, can be placed over it for display.
In another aspect, the outer layer is molded to have a design, for example siding, bricks, stones or other like design. The ridges of the design reinforce the wall because the shape creates solid sections which extend horizontally and also because where the outer layer is recessed from the exterior of the building, the outer layer is fused to the inner layer. The inner layer is preferably made generally flat and smooth, particularly if the building is used as an outhouse, for easy cleaning.
In another aspect, the door and door panel include several unique features. One is that the door and door frame are molded with a living hinge in the portion which becomes the door frame. Cutting the door frame into two pieces after cutting the door from the door panel is not necessary in this design, as the living hinge flexes to permit pulling the two sides of the door frame together to create side-to-side overlap with the door. Maintaining this connection between the two sides of the door frame helps keep the two sides aligned during assembly and reinforces the building. The living hinge also creates a coat hook inside the building. In this connection, a keystone can be molded as part of the roof to cover the seam between the two sides of the door frame, at the outer end of the living hinge.
In another aspect concerning the door, the door has a plastic molded latch which is large, washable, easy to assemble and durable. The latch and door designs cooperate to provide their own stops, and a stick-on indicator can be applied to the latch so that it indicates to a person standing outside of the building whether the latch is latched or unlatched. A detent may also be provided between the door and the latch to secure the latch in an unlatched position. Should the latch accidentally close however, the latch is made with a slot which is accessible from the outside so that the latch can be unlatch from the outside.
The door is also molded with signage holders. If used as an outhouse, it is useful to identify which gender the outhouse is intended for, or whether both genders may use it. Thus, a gender card holder is molded into the outer surface of the door. For advertising, a business card holder is molded into the outer surface of the door, for example, so that the outhouse rental company can put its card or cards in the holder.
The roof also includes features to make the building well lit by daylight and leak resistant in a rain storm. The roof has a skylight attached to it, and rain gutters are molded into the roof at the upper corners of the skylight and down along the sides of the skylight to channel rain water which may leak past the skylights away from the opening in the roof beneath the skylights. Thereby, leakage through the roof is reduced, while providing good daylight lighting.
The foregoing and other objects and advantages of the invention will appear from the following description. In this description reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which there is shown by way of illustration a preferred embodiment of the invention. Such embodiment does not necessarily represent the full scope of the invention.